Culture shock rating

Worried we’re going to shock your senses? Relax! We believe part of the fun of travel is immersing yourself in the destination and its culture, meeting the people, and learning what makes the place tick. We’ve got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The cultural shock rating ranks how different the experience is from most Western cultures. But no matter the level, don’t worry, you’ll have a local, in-the-know guide with you every step of the way.

Low

Consider these tours your 101 intro to a place. Transportation might be private or a very comfortable public option, and the activities are usually visits to iconic sites and locations that are familiar to most Western cultures – but that will still give you fantastic insight into a destination.

Medium

Expect to rough it for parts of this tour, whether that’s on a packed public bus or in a local market off the tourist trail. There might be a few language barriers or unfamiliar cultural customs, and you’ll get an experience different from what you're used to at home.

High

You're out there in the global community! We’re going to take you down streets you’d rarely explore on your own, introduce you to local customs and languages, and take you for a ride in whatever transport is available. Get ready to take it as it comes, whatever comes. There might be a shock, but oh man, it’s worth it.

Medium

Physicality

Physical rating

Worried our tours are too tough? Relax! From leisurely strolls to muscle-burning treks, we’ve got a wide range of tours with something for everybody. The physical grading gives you an idea of how much huffing and puffing you can expect on the tour.

Low

Slow and steady is all you need here. These tours have very limited physical activity, such as walking relatively flat streets, sites, or markets, and climbing in and out of the transport provided.

Medium

Not too hard, not too soft, these tours are just right! You can expect a bit of physical activity, but nothing overly challenging – perhaps walking up and down hills, riding a bike for up to 30 kilometers along mostly flat terrain, or jumping in a kayak for a gentle paddle on flat water.

High

Get ready for a workout! These tours are our most challenging and involve intense walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, or bike riding. You could be making steep climbs by foot or pedal, or working your core in the water. We recommend you have a good level of fitness to join this tour.

Low

TOUR SNAPSHOT

“”

Two points to comment:
a) we were expecting to prepare the dinner together with Bogdan (who is really a very nice guy, we really appreciated the time with him).
b) the food was good, no problem, but a little bit "unspectacular". I know that Romanian 'cuisine' has more to offer.
But, we enjoyed a nice evening.
Best regards to Bogdan
Uli

Mr. uli b., Germany - 02 Aug 2017

This was the best part of our entire trip to Romania. Excellent hosts!

Mr. Jamie K., Canada - 23 Feb 2017

The Home Cooked Bucharest dinner was a great experience and an amazing way to get an insight of Romanian culture. The two host were absolutely outstanding by providing a very intellectual conversation and some authentic traditional Romanian cuisine. The host provided us with a good location to meet up and as we walked to his house he gave us the historic facts about some of the neighborhoods. Once we got to the house the food was delicious and they provided some local beverages. This is garunteed to make your trip to Romania unforgettable.

Mr. Sierra M., Canada - 17 Nov 2016

Tour snapshot

Join this Bucharest Home Cooked experience with a local host who will welcome you into their home for a delicious, traditional meal. Tantilise your taste buds with foods such as ciroba, sarmale,stuffed peppers and fish, tocanita, and more. We won’t try everything on this list, but it gives you an idea of the tasty treats to come. Wash it down with some Romanian wine, tuica, or a soft drink, and say cheers with your new friends in Bucharest!

Highlights

Try delicious local food

Meet a local person and chat about their life

Have the privilege to spend time in a local home

Help with the food preparation (if you like!)

Be treated like one of the family

Inclusions: Dinner in a local home with a local family, drinks (made in Romania): water, juice, tuica (local alcoholic drink), beer/ whine, coffee and tea.

Exclusions: If you wish to catch a taxi back to your accommodation after the experience this is at your own expense. No gratuity is included.

Schedule details

We will take you back to the point where we started the tour, or if you prefer, help you get to the nearest metro station or to catch a taxi back to your hotel.

FULL ITINERARY

This tour is a part of the Urban Adventures Home Cooked series and aims to give you one of the richest travelling experiences you can ever have – the opportunity to enjoy a meal with a family in a local home. Your local host speaks English well, so you won’t need sign language to understand each other! The aim is for you to experience life exactly how it is in Bucharest. It is the chance for you to hang out with everyday locals, and get to know Romanian culture through their eyes, and their food. Could there be a more perfect way to get to know local life in Bucharest?! We don’t think so.

You will be met at the meeting point by one of the family who speaks English. We’ll head back to your hosts’ home, and after you’re introduced, it’s time to get our chef hats on! In terms of the cooking, you can do as much or as little as you like. If you want to learn some Romanian cooking techniques and recipes, this is your chance to learn from a local. Theywill be happy to show you the ropes. But if you want to just sit back, chat, and relax, that’s cool too.

When the food is ready you will all sit down together and share the meal prepared, enjoy the conversation, or maybe you’ll even look at each other’s photographs and maybe take some more all together. This experience is real. Our families come from all walks of life. Some you might find have a similar lifestyle to your own, whereas others might come from a very different background. This is your chance to get to know the people of Romania in their own homes – something that you certainly won’t find on every tour in Bucharest! The beauty of this project is that everyone involved in our Home Cooked Series is someone who wants to meet travellers and share experiences with them.

Additional information

Inclusions: Dinner in a local home with a local family, drinks (made in Romania): water, juice, tuica (local alcoholic drink), beer/ whine, coffee and tea.

Exclusions: If you wish to catch a taxi back to your accommodation after the experience this is at your own expense. No gratuity is included.

Dress standard: Casual dress is encouraged.

Your Trip: For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group. There may be other travelers dining with you and the family.

Confirmation of booking: If you have your voucher, your booking is confirmed. We'll see you at the start point.
Get in touch if you have any concerns or require more information via the email address or phone number (business hours only) on your voucher.

Child Policy: This is a child-friendly tour. Children between the ages of 6 and 11 inclusively are permitted on this tour at the rate listed above. Please select ‘child’ above when booking. Children under the age of 6 are permitted to join this tour free of charge so long as they eat from their parents' meals. Please note that a special, separate meal will not be prepared for them. Please inform us at the time of booking if you’ll be bringing a child under the age of 6. You can do so in the special request box on the checkout page.

Local contact

Traveller rating

Excellent

(7)

Very good

(1)

Average

(0)

Poor

(0)

Terrible

(0)

Rating summary

Overall experience

Guide

Local learning

Responsible travel

Met expectations

Mr. uli b. from Germany travelled on 02 Aug 2017

Two points to comment:
a) we were expecting to prepare the dinner together with Bogdan (who is really a very nice guy, we really appreciated the time with him).
b) the food was good, no problem, but a little bit "unspectacular". I know that Romanian 'cuisine' has more to offer.
But, we enjoyed a nice evening.
Best regards to Bogdan
Uli

Mr. Jamie K. from Canada travelled on 23 Feb 2017

This was the best part of our entire trip to Romania. Excellent hosts!

Mr. Sierra M. from Canada travelled on 17 Nov 2016

The Home Cooked Bucharest dinner was a great experience and an amazing way to get an insight of Romanian culture. The two host were absolutely outstanding by providing a very intellectual conversation and some authentic traditional Romanian cuisine. The host provided us with a good location to meet up and as we walked to his house he gave us the historic facts about some of the neighborhoods. Once we got to the house the food was delicious and they provided some local beverages. This is garunteed to make your trip to Romania unforgettable.

Mrs. Georgina S. from United Kingdom travelled on 08 Aug 2016

A real highlight of our trip to Bucharest - for three generations! Excellent company with delightful and informative hosts and the best meal of our sty - absolutely delicious - a real treat.

Ms. Kathy D. from Australia travelled on 16 Jun 2016

We really enjoyed our Urban Adventure! Our evening with Stefan was the highlight of our trip to Bucharest! The meal was wonderful, and made with fresh, local ingredients. It was accompanied by local wine and beer and plenty of local knowledge! We had a insight into life in Bucharest and in Romania and a little of Romania's history. Stefan is enthusiastic, friendly and personable, and made us feel very welcome and comfortable in his home. The time flew, yet the memories will remain with us forever! Stefan gave us some good suggestions so that we could get the most out of our trip. We can wholeheartedly recommend this experience.